Haryana INLD chief killing: Former BJP MLA booked is an old political rival

Former Bahadurgarh MLA Naresh Kaushik has been charged with murder and conspiracy in the killing of Nafe Singh Rathee, with the two having taken on each other in successive elections

Written by Sukhbir Siwach

Chandigarh | February 26, 2024 05:11 PM IST

naresh kaushik mla haryana bjp nafe singh rathee murder

Former Bahadurgarh MLA Naresh Kaushik. (Express)

They were political rivals who contested elections against each other. On Sunday, former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik was booked for murder and conspiracy over the killing of Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Haryana chief Nafe Singh Rathee. The BJP had recently appointed Kaushik, 57, as the coordinator for the Rohtak parliamentary constituency.

The Bahadurgarh MLA from 1996 to 2005 with a three-decade-long associated with the INLD, Rathee left the party in 2014 and joined the BJP after he was denied an Assembly election ticket from Bahadurgarh by the INLD. But the BJP too ignored Rathee and chose to field Kaushik. Rathee then contested as an Independent and finished fourth, securing over 20,000 votes, while Kaushik defeated his nearest rival Rajender Kumar Joon of the Congress to get elected.

In 2018, Rathee had returned to the INLD and was fielded in the Assembly elections the following year. Kaushik also was in the race on a BJP ticket. The 2019 elections, however, saw the win of the Congress’s Rajender Joon, with Rathee finishing third.

Rathee’s family has blamed local BJP leaders for his murder and alleged that, before his killing, Kaushik was instrumental in the dozens of cases filed against his relatives.

Belonging to village of Lova Khurd near Bahadurgarh, he has assets worth Rs 3.29 crore and almost Rs 25 lakh of liabilities as per his poll affidavit.

The Opposition on Monday targeted the government over the killing, with some labelling it a “political murder”. The Opposition also asked why the government had not provided Rathee with a security cover. “It is a very serious matter. A former MLA has been shot dead and those who stand booked are also political people,” Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress told the Assembly. He also insisted on a CBI probe.

State Home Minister Anil Vij said the state police was fully capable of investigating the case but added that if “the House will only be satisfied with a CBI probe, we shall get it done”. The government then announced it would hand over the case to the central agency.